Pumpkin Patch--Love Creek Orchards

posing for mommy is not my favorite thing:)

 Andrew is exploring his surroundings

HAY!!!!!

 my sweet boys!!!

 CHEESE!!!

 

painting our pumpkin! He's a beauty!!

Barrel Rides...first with Daddy in the barrel, then behind Daddy, then all by myself!!!

  

Foodie Fridays!!! Pork Chile Verde

this is what it looked like after cooking 5-6 hours and adding the herbs...it's more red than green bc of the tomatoes, but I think it will still taste good and only get better the longer it cooks.

Pork (I used 5 thick cut pork chops, but would normally use a pork roast if I had it in the freezer)
1-2 cans of salsa verde (or more if you like it spicier and saucier)
1/2 box of chicken stock or home made
1 onion sliced
1-3 gloves garlic smashed, grated or chopped
1 can diced tomatoes or fresh chopped if you cook this in tomato season
generous on the salt and pepper
taco seasoning, garlic and onion powder
fresh herbs (chives, cilantro, parsley, thyme, sage...whatever flavors you like to add to pork)
green onions sliced

if you want tacos...
corn tortillas
avocado
cabbage
more salsa

Put pork in your crock pot and generously salt and pepper the meat. Add spices, sliced onion and garlic, add tomatoes, salsa and chicken stock. Cook for 5-6 hours on high (depending on how much pork you use, it could take longer.)
During the last hour, add fresh herbs and green onions. Shred or cut the pork into bite size pieces.


This is a shortcut version using canned salsa verde instead of roasting tomatillos, poblanos, Anaheims, jalapenos or whatever green chiles you would normally use!

Park Day Bentos

Baby Andrew's first bento!

 Havarti & Turkey Bears

animal crackers

banana & strawberry bits

goldfish

pretzel sticks

Adrian & Mommy's bento

 pig & bear cups of strawberries & grape skewers

pepperoni & havarti pumpkins & potato chips

pretzel sticks,  pumpkin & peanut butter  shaped pumpkins

animal crackers (we took plenty to share if the other kids don't have snacks!)

what's for lunch wednesday???

 I'm a little late in posting this, but it's still Wednesday!

A slivery Halloween moon (fried turkey breast, honey ham and Havarti) with Cheddar stars shining bright, spiders and jack-o-lanterns lurking about, a pumpkin cup with grapes and strawberries guarded by bats and ghosts, a Halloween Oreo in a pumpkin paper and a small orange box of goodies...trick or treat!!!

 if you want to participate in What's for lunch, Wednesday? click here

Halloween moon closeup...BOO!!!

A Christmas Advent Project part 1

picture frames

I am really excited about this project and wanted to start the posts early in case you also want to do this for the advent season starting December 1. This was created by two very talented moms at my church.

You will need the following supplies for this version---

• a Christmas tree or something to hang 25 small picture ornaments on

• 25 picture frame ornaments (I used rectangles, ovals and circles)

• these two Bibles (I bought them used since I knew I was just cutting out pictures)

• and the directions from the Redeemer Website (bottom of the page on the link)

Bible for Children 

  Children's Illustrated Bible
(make sure you buy the LARGE version of this Bible) the link on the Redeemer website is for the small compact version. The pictures will not be big enough...if you look at all the reviews, like I did AFTER I received my Bible today, you'll see all the complaints!

Redeemer Children's Christmas Advent Devotional Tree 

Bible, frames with cutout pictures, instructions

I haven't bought my tree yet, but will post more pictures when advent season comes

Muffin Tin Monday...HALLOWEEN!!!

Today's theme is Halloween...we had a very busy weekend, so I didn't make time for this til this morning...we have a jack-o-lantern carved apple slice, pumpkin shaped cookie (the originals are in the picture below), a couple candy corn witches' fingernails, spider eggs, mummies, a witch's hat, and some goblin goo adorned with sprinkles of blood. ooh! A sweet bento friend of mine and I had lunch last week and traded some picks! I received these cute Halloween picks from her! And I love the fact that my boys are watching a Halloween episode of Super Why while eating their gooey gobliny muffin meal!

 If you would like to participate in Muffin Tin Monday, click on the link below and check out the wealth of fun ideas!!!!

chocolate chips cookie bars 
(the recipe from the back of the chocolate chip bag!)

Foodie Fridays!!! Pasta Salad

I'm going to try something...we'll see if I keep doing it!

I want to try to write a recipe on my blog every Friday...it might be in the morning...or like today, right after I fixed it for our dinner:)

I hope to have a collection and if I can figure out how to do the cool linky things that my other blogger friends do out there, I'll try that too!

Here is the recipe...

Orzo Salad

 cooked orzo pasta (1 cup cooked)

2 pepperoni sticks sliced thin

2 mozzarella cheese sticks sliced thin

20 or so cherry tomatoes cut in half

1 red bell pepper finely chopped

palmful of chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

3 green onions sliced

onion powder

garlic powder

salt

pepper

1/4 cup or so EVOO

2-3T Romano Basil Vinaigrette

Parmesan Cheese

Mix everything together. Check for seasoning. Add more salt and parmesan if needed. ENJOY!!!

more bentos, goodbyns, and fun lunch ideas

this was an 'at home bento' thus the plate and not a container...I just love these little underwater sea creature picks...and they go so well with the sea creature cookie cutters. We had a very fishy lunch...goldfish crackers, grapes on a pirate's sword, a clamshell and a seal. Octopus and starfish cheese squares and a couple fish shaped sandwiches with the letters SEA spelled out in sandwich too! a couple m&ms were hidden in the blue fish container.

what I LOVE about the goodbyn? it's HUGE!!!  It holds so much food...I packed this for me and my TWO boys! We were going to my parents' house, so I took extra cookies to share... we had apple slices, turkey and cheese roll ups, pepperoni,  a cheese stick, Italian herb pita bread and a bear full of hummus. yummy!

KDO Bento

Adrian has a fall dinosaur bento...dino pb&j with little leaves too, pepperoni and cheese scarecrow skewers, half a cupcake from Andrew's party and a bear filled with fall colored goldfish.

Muffin Tin Monday

We had build your own tacos! (and tamales...they're out fresh in the stores now for the holidays!) Adrian had bear cups filled with chips, cheese a cookie leftover from Andrew's birthday, tamales and picadillo (beef taco mix)

If you want to participate in Muffin Tin Monday, click on the link below!

happy, happy 1st birthday, Andrew Graham!!!

Happy, Happy 1st birthday, sweet Andrew Graham!!! I am so blessed to be your mommy!!!

Greeting Mimi

my Godfather impression...faaget about it!

Above, he has picked out the piece he wants before we even finished singing! Let him eat cake!

Adrian says this is nummy!

sweet Auntie Jo